


Anti-schadenfreude

by OnlyTomorrowWillTell



Category: The Lady or the Tiger? - Frank Stockton
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 00:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3588837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyTomorrowWillTell/pseuds/OnlyTomorrowWillTell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The princess made a tough decision.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anti-schadenfreude

The princess had tasted bitterness even before she had chosen the door for her lover. She looked away as he moved to open it. She was already hurt and teary-eyed by what she knew was behind the door.

The crowds' cheering was deafening, but the princess only heard herself screaming in her head. The beautiful woman, draped in fine, sheer, silk stepped out from behind the door. Her golden jewelry could not outshine the radiant, glowing look she wore. The princess's heart tightened in her chest. He had gratefulness in his eyes, and made a small, closed-mouth smile at her, but she didn't return either gesture. Instead, she looked away, for the sight of him with another woman made her want to cry, tear her hair out, and become an animal. Her heart was broken at the sight of her happy, overjoyed, former lover. Her eyes were made even wetter with her new sorrow, she hadn't imagined the sight of the new couple would fill her with such grief. She knew her lover felt the same way about the other woman, but she couldn't will herself to cease hating them both after seeing him pleased at staying alive, and the other woman's joy at being married to a stunning man. The princess would have to learn to accept that her lover had a new wife, and that she would eventually see them together.

It pained her greatly, but the princess knew that she had made the right choice. She would be destroyed by grief if her lover had died by tiger-mauling.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to write this for an English class awhile ago, but I completely forgot to post it. The title refers to Schadenfreude, and how the princess is actually distressed about the pain her lover would've faced from the tiger-mauling.  
> ________________________________________  
> Regarding my SVTFOE fic, I'm still editing it because of the next chapter's mood; it's (at least) slightly darker than that of the show's and definitely slightly darker than the posted chapters of my fanfic's. On the bright side, as I promised, said chapter is much much longer than the two chapters already posted.  
> (Still can't guarantee a regular update schedule or a post date, I'm still busy with school life.)  
> Sorry, and thanks for sticking around with me :D .


End file.
